Alabama oversize permit requirements
Alabama sits across the shortest line between the Gulf ports and the industrial Midwest, which is why a great deal of project cargo that never meant to stop there ends up crossing it. Transformers off a barge at Mobile, press frames bound for the Tennessee Valley, wind components running north on I-65 — all of it meets the same set of state rules, and most of it meets them at short notice.
The rules themselves are unremarkable until you look at the edges. Alabama runs on daylight movement six days a week, closes on Sundays, and shuts down for holiday weekends outright, which means a load that clears the paperwork on a Friday afternoon in November may not turn a wheel until the following Monday. Planning around the calendar matters here more than in states that permit night running.
Two details catch carriers out often enough to be worth stating plainly. The first is the narrow-lane rule: where lanes are under twelve feet, legal width drops to eight feet and trailers are held to fifty-three feet six inches, so a combination that is perfectly legal on the Interstate can stop being legal the moment it turns off. The second is the structural steel exemption — steel up to sixty feet moves without a permit and without escorts, which is the kind of allowance that saves a fabricator real money once someone tells them it exists.
Width is where the routing question really bites. Alabama will permit up to sixteen feet as ordinary business, but past sixteen feet the Interstate is closed to the load, and a route that drops onto state highways through the hill country north of Birmingham is a different proposition entirely — narrower lanes, more bridges, and the eight-foot legal width rule waiting on every one of them. It is worth knowing which side of sixteen feet a load falls on before anyone quotes a transit time.
A permit has to be in hand before the load enters the state; there is no arranging it at the line. That single sentence is the reason most Alabama calls we take are urgent ones.
Legal dimensions
At or under these figures, no oversize permit is required in Alabama.
- Width
- 8′6″
- Height
- 13′6″
- Gross weight
- 80,000 lb
- Overhang
- 10′ front, 5′ rear
- Single axle
- 20,000 lb
- Tandem
- 34,000 lb
- Tridem
- 42,000 lb
Routine permit limits
Above legal dimensions and up to these figures, Alabama issues a permit as routine business. Beyond them the load becomes a superload, reviewed case by case.
- Length
- 150′, with rear overhang capped at 20′
- Overhang
- 20′ rear is the maximum permitted
- Width
- 16′ — wider than 16′ may not use the Interstate
- Height
- 16′
- 5 axles
- 102,000 lb
Escort requirements
A load reaching any of these figures needs an escort in Alabama — the figure is the first size that requires one, so a load measuring exactly this much already needs it.
- Width
- 12′1″
- Height
- 15′0″
- Length
- 90′1″
When the load may move
Permit validity. Single-trip permits are valid for five consecutive days. The permit must be issued before the load enters the state.
Operating time. Daylight only — from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, Monday through Saturday. No Sunday movement.
Restricted travel. No movement on major holidays or across holiday weekends.
Worth knowing
- Structural steel up to 60 ft is exempt from both permits and escorts.
- On roads with lanes narrower than 12 ft, legal width drops to 8 ft and trailer length to 53 ft 6 in.
- Overall combination length is capped at 85 ft unless the trailer itself exceeds 57 ft.
Alabama permits, answered
How long is an Alabama oversize permit valid?
Five consecutive days from issue. It has to be in hand before the load enters the state — Alabama does not issue at the line.
Can an oversize load run at night in Alabama?
No. Movement is daylight only, from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset, Monday through Saturday, and not at all on Sundays.
Does structural steel need an Alabama permit?
Not up to 60 ft. Alabama exempts structural steel at that length from both the permit and the escort requirement, which is unusual enough that it is worth checking before you file.
Why is my legal width 8 ft on some Alabama roads?
Where lanes are narrower than 12 ft, Alabama drops legal width from 8 ft 6 in to 8 ft and trailer length from 57 ft to 53 ft 6 in. A combination that is legal on I-65 can stop being legal on the road it turns onto.
Can I move an oversize load in Alabama over a holiday weekend?
No. Alabama closes to oversize movement on major holidays and through holiday weekends, so a Friday permit can sit unused until the following Monday.
Crossing more than Alabama?
A permit is per state. If the route leaves Alabama, these are the states it most likely enters.
Get a permit quote for Alabama
Enter the load once and the estimator prices every state on the route, flags where an escort is required, and turns the quote into an order.
Price a permit for Alabama →Compiled from published state DOT sources. Regulations change — confirm the current rules before dispatch. Last reviewed 2026-07-30.